Double Hearted
by MelanieA00
Summary: Marinette's heart belongs completely to Adrien Agreste, her long-time crush. There's no way her equally long-time partner could capture her heart as well... can he?
1. Chapter 1

With a beep, the second to last spot on Ladybug's earrings fades.

She glances at Chat's ring, all paw marks glowing a bright green. While Ladybug had used Lucky Charm, her partner's super power, Cataclysm, hadn't been needed.

"Ah, I've really got to go," she says to Chat. He looks at his own miraculous, reluctance to detransform sketched across his face.

Chat meets Ladybug's eyes and gives her a dazzling smile. His is one of her favorites, second only to Adrien Agreste's. Despite her frequent rejections to Chat's flirtatious advances, Ladybug can't deny her partner's attractiveness.

"I'll see you around, My Lady," he cooes, grabbing her hand and brushing a kiss against her knuckles. "I think I'll stay as Chat for a little while longer."

Ladybug pulls her hand back and waves goodbye before swinging from rooftop to rooftop. She travels as far as she can to a secluded space and reverts to her original form.

Marinette's first thought is to return home, but a tickle of curiosity flutters in the back of her mind. She has never before paid much thought about what Chat does after their time together. She knows when his transformation is about to wear off, he runs off back to his civilian life, same as she. But as for when he is still Chat… that remains to be know.

 _He's probably doing a daytime patrol_ , Marinette assumes. Still, the yearning to know how Chat behaves without Ladybug beckons.

Tikki pulls at Marinette's sleeve, startling her. "Um, Marinette?" The kwami looks up at her with shining eyes, a small rumble of hunger emanating from her small form.

"Oh, Tikki! You must be famished. I'm sorry I forgot; I was just thinking." She shakes her head and begins in the direction of the nearest convenience store.

Marinette buys a packaged roll of powdered doughnuts and sticks it into her small purse. "Don't make too much of a mess," she warns, now regretting buying something so messy. The doughnuts had been the first thing she grabbed; Marinette finds herself in a hurry. She had unconsciously planned to follow Chat whilst in her civilian form.

As Tikki munches on her snack, Marinette dashes to the street, scanning the rooftops for a familiar figure clad in black. After wandering the city sidewalks for a few minutes, she spots him jumping in the distance and hurries towards his location so she doesn't lose him.

It takes a while, but Marinette finally manages to reach the same street as he. She finds him looking bored, but is so familiar with his face and expressions that she can tell he is enjoying his time as the city's ever watching hero. She hopes he doesn't get an even bigger head.

Chat remains in the air, occasionally squatting down to peer at the passerbys on the street. When he does, Marinette is quick to jump under an awning, but this time she is not so lucky. Chat swings down, landing so suddenly in front of Marinette that she squeals in alarm.

"Oh, uh, ah," she stutters, bringing an arm behind her head. She remembers to put on a star-struck face and beams. "Oooh, _Chat Noir_? It's so cool to see you!"

* * *

Chat looks down at the street, absentmindedly twirling his tail. A quick flash of bright pink darts under the awning below and it catches his attention, like a cat with a mouse. It's the third time it has happened, and he wonders if he's being followed.

Curious, he jumps down, a hand reaching out to grip the edge of the awning, and swoops down, landing in front of a familiar face. _Marinette?_

His classmate jumps into the air comically and he stifles a chuckle. She opens her mouth and stutters so customarily that it's almost as if he had run into her as Adrien. _It's adorable, really,_ he thinks, and blinks at her sudden change in demeanor as she fawns over him.

It's amusing at first, and he humours her, playing the magnificent hero. Soon her exaggerated swooning makes him frown; it's so obviously staged. He hadn't caught the over-eager tone the first time they had worked together, but now it's as if she's reciting lines.

Chat holds out a clawed hand to stop her. Marinette does, her babbling coming to an abrupt end. She raises an eyebrow at him, and he wonders if his face appears as irked as he feels.

"Chat? What's wrong?" Her voice is strong and unwavering, sounding so different from what he's used to from her.

Chat sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "You don't have to act like that."

One of her blue eyes twitches. "Like… what?"

Chat waves his hand in the air. "Like you're head-over-heels for me, or something. I can tell you're exaggerating… I'm just not sure why." He can't think of a reason why Marinette would play the excited fan. What is it about him that puts her off?

Marinette rubs her neck and shrugs, no longer denying his claim. "Oh, uh, sorry? I mean, it's not that I don't like you or anything, I just…" It's plain she tries to conjure an excuse but fails. Instead she shrugs, and looks him in the eye apologetically.

Confidence lowered, Chat shakes his head, sighing. "You know what, never mind. I'll just go, I guess."

Marinette's eyes widen, and she steps forward, grabbing his arm to stop him from turning away. "No, Chat, wait." He stares at her hand and a flush rises to Marinette's cheeks. "Sorry," she says, and let's go.

Her eyes dart around the street as if only now realizing other Parisians had noticed their conversation. If they could call it that.

"Did you want to say something?" Chat looks at her curiously, now. Where is the shy, stammering Marinette he is used to? He finds that he himself wants to talk to her, to see what the girl is like behind her nervous wall.

"I… I guess not. I'm sorry I wasted your time." Marinette looks so genuinely disheartened that Chat feels bad for making her feel that way. Something stirs inside him, but he can't pinpoint what it is, exactly.

"Hey," he says, gesturing to the small alleyway between the buildings beside them. "Would my Princess like to talk with this handsome kitty?" Chat winks, trying to lighten the mood.

"Really?" Marinette places her hands on her hips, her lips quirked. "You want to talk in an _alley_?"

Her stance and expression looks so cute that Chat can't help but let out a laugh.

"Hey! Don't you laugh at me," Marinette protests, causing Chat to laugh even harder.

He struggles to contain himself before asking, "If you would like to go to a public cafe and talk, well…" he shrugs his shoulders for emphasis.

Marinette puffs out her cheeks. "Why are we looking for a place to talk, again? Do _you_ want to tell me something?"

Chat holds up a finger. "Well, I, uh-" he can't think of any other reason than just hanging out for the sake of it.

A smile blossoms on the girl's face. "What's this? Chat Noir is at a loss for words?" There's a teasing glint in her sky blue eyes. It's strangely familiar and so alluring that his breath hitches. The intensity of her gaze… it's definitely not what he typically receives from his classmate.

That weird feeling from earlier returns, and he feels heat rise to his neck. "No, no, you're right, I've got nothing I want to say in particular and… bye?" His sentence is left with the uncertainty of a question as he jumps up, grabs a hold of the awning, and hurries away before transforming back.

* * *

Marinette walks back to the bakery. She thinks about her strange encounter with Chat, trying to shake off the initial embarrassment at being caught in the act of both tailing him and faking admiration. It is true, when Marinette said she _didn't_ dislike him. Then there was the weirdness after. She's never seen him lose his cool like that before.

The door to her parents' bakey chimes as she pulls it open. Her feet drags as she makes her way up the stairs to her room.

Marinette uses her extra time to catch up on her homework. With her duties as Ladybug, it's usually a struggle to maintain her good grades, but Marinette is a hard worker.

The hours slip by, then dinner, and Marinette finds herself sitting in her room with nothing to do.

She tries to pass the time by flipping through magazines, working on her designs, even considers slipping out as Ladybug. Her mind always manages to drift back to a certain masked boy, and she has to smack herself on the cheek to distract her from her distraction.

Marinette gets up from her swivel chair to head downstairs before a quiet but distinct knock on her roof shakes her out of her stupor.

Her shoulders tense, and she grabs a pair of fabric shears. Marinette inches silently to the top of her bed and cranes her neck to peer through the glass door. It's too dark outside to see anything. With a jolt, she realizes that whoever it is out there can see perfectly inside.

She scrambles lower down the stairs from her bed and calls, "Who's there?" Marinette is glad to hear that her voice doesn't shake.

"Psst… Marinette? Princess? It's me." Her jaw drops at the sound of the familiar voice.

" _Chat_?"

* * *

Chat crouches on Marinette's balcony, smiling at the girl inside the room below as she puts away her shears. Marinette climbs back up the bed and pushes open the door, her mouth hanging open.

She shivers and says, "Um, why don't you come in?" Her eyes grow wide as she balks. "No, no, wait! I-I have to do something first!"

Chat cocks his head in confusion but stays where he is, trying to ignore the slight chill. The sound of frantic tearing and hustling fills the air and he can't help but wonder what down there made Marinette so nervous.

Soon, her head pops back up through the opening and she beckons him in with a wave of her hand. Chat slinks through the trapdoor and lands gracefully on her bed. His first thought as he looks around the room is that it is very, very pink.

Chat descends the stairs, following Marinette down to the floor. Evidence of her passion for design is all over the room. He pauses at one sketch lying on her desk. "Hey, this is really good. It looks amazing!"

Marinette smiles, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "You really think so?"

Chat nods. "I'm sure it'll look even better once it's made. From that ha-" _From that hat you made._ Realizing what he was about to say, Chat clamps his teeth down on his tongue. Pain flares, but compared to what his blunder would have done, it's nothing.

He looks at Marinette, but she just smiles at him, a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Wow, thanks. I haven't started on the dress yet, but it's next on my list." She rocks back and forth on her heels. "So, uh, is there something you needed?"

 _Oh, right._ "Well, er, I just-" Chat clears his throat and dregs up some courage, trying to speak in his usual, casual tone. "I was wondering if my Princess wanted to have a little _chat_ with me." Marinette groans at the pun. "After all, I couldn't leave our previous conversation like that. That would be quite rude."

His classmate crosses her arms. "And you wanted to do this at nine in the evening? Chat, why are you really here? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." He tries for nonchalance, but gives up and sighs. "I was… lonely. You were the first person I thought to go to." _Besides Ladybug_ , he adds mentally. _But I have no idea who she really is._

Marinette's usually expressive face is suddenly blank. She speaks slowly, as if she's carefully choosing the right words to say to him. "You are… lonely? But why did you come to me?"

After he had left her standing alone on the sidewalk this afternoon, Adrien had gone home only to realize he had been late to a photoshoot. After a few hours of posing boredly for pictures, he had come back to his large, empty house to a disappointed father. Nothing tops a bad day like a lecture about punctuality.

With Marinette still on his mind, Adrien had retransformed (with a lot of cheesy bribery for Plagg) and made his way, without much thinking, to the girl's house. It is a place he has visited before, and is conveniently located across the street from their school.

"Well, we were talking earlier, and I thought it'd be nice to have a proper conversation. By the way," Chat squints at Marinette. "Were you following me today?"

Marinette flushes a bright red. "What? F-following you? No! W-why do you ask?"

Chat arches a brow. "I saw that flash of pink from your pants more than a couple times."

"Oh… well, I was, um, I was doing a favor for my friend, Alya. Yeah, yeah, that's why. She runs the Ladyblog, you know." He does, as she is his friend as well, but Marinette can't possibly know that.

"Huh. That makes sense." He slides onto the swivel chair, twisting around so his chest is leaning against the back and facing Marinette. "Do you want an interview? I'll be happy to answer my Princess' questions."

Marinette sits on the chaise by the window. "No, no questions. I'm sure Alya would love to ask some, but that's not exactly why you're here, is it?" Her eyes soften and Chat is drawn to those baby-blues. "You can talk to me, you know. I won't say a word to anyone."

Chat's lips twist into a small smile. "You sound like a therapist. A very cute, sweet therapist." He enjoys the way he makes her blush. It's a little different from her blushes he gets as Adrien, in a way. More tender, calm. A flutter rises in his chest for a strange reason.

"Do you mind, then," Chat ventures. "If I ask _you_ questions instead?"

* * *

Marinette blinks. "You want to ask _me_ questions? But why?"

Chat rests his chin on the back of the seat. "I'd like to get to know you better. Does that make you uncomfortable? You don't have to if you don't want to."

Marinette prods her bottom lip with a finger. "No, no, go ahead." She already knows more about him from her time as Ladybug than she should as Marinette, and this feels a little like compensation. Knowledge about her in return for knowledge about him.

Chat smiles, and she feels her mood lift at the grin she knows and loves. "Alright then," he says, and begins his round of questions.

He asks about her personal life: what other hobbies she has, her favorite things, her family and school.

Marinette enjoys answering, and enjoys even more the smiles he makes. The smiles he makes _for_ her, _because_ of her. She gets drunk on his smiles and it's making her oh-so-confused.

She glances at the clock and is only half surprised to see that a few hours have passed. "Oh," she sighs. "It's already midnight." Marinette's mood dampers at the thought of Chat leaving her to an empty room.

Chat gets up from his chair to raise Marinette's hand to his lips. "When the clock strikes midnight, I must leave, Princess. I hope you'll think of me," he adds with a wink.

Marinette scoffs and pushes him lightly away. "In your dreams, Chat."

"No, in _your_ dreams." With that, he scampers up the stairs and onto her bed, pushing the trapdoor open.

"Chat-wait."

He looks back at her, green eyes twinkling. "Yes?"

A light blush warms her cheeks. "Um… you're welcome to come again another time. If you ever feel you need someone to talk to."

Chat smiles. "Thanks. I will." Without a second look back, he disappears.

Marinette sits in her spot, lips parted. A small, pleased sigh escapes and she blushes furiously at herself. Now Chat has become entangled in her personal life, a life she has desperately tried to keep separate and secret from her hero identity. She just can't decide if it's a good or bad thing.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Marinette has a hard time waking up. She had spent a good deal of time after Chat's visit last night lying awake in her bed. Even now, her mind is filled with his face, his words, and his smile. His laughs and questions and even _his_ answers to _her_ occasional questions.

She knows his favorite color is red. She knows his favorite food, his favorite movie, how he likes his coffee and even his dislike for cheese, oddly enough.

Marinette runs a hand through her hair before brushing her locks and tying them up into her standard pigtails.

Tikki flies up to her face as she gazes into the mirror. "Marinette? Is something the matter?"

At this the girl perks up, snapping out of her dazed state. She replies, "What? No, I'm fine. I have a lot on my mind, I guess."

Tikki's large eyes peer up at her, concernedly. "Was it Chat? Did he say something wrong?"

Marie shakes her head. "It's the fact that he said anything at all is what gets me. Why me? Why Marinette and not Ladybug, or even his normal friends?" She frowned. "Does he have any? He said he was lonely, but he seems like the kind of person who attracts people easily."

The kwami only shrugs. "I know as much about Chat as you do, Marinette. From what I heard, you two seemed to have had a good time together."

Marinette adjusts the collar of her shirt, climbing down the hatch to the hallway below. Tikki ducks into her purse, in case one of the girl's parents are around.

In a low voice, Marinette says, "I did. It was fun, really. It's just… well, I don't exactly know how I feel about it all."

"But you said you had fun? What's the problem?"

Marinette shakes her head, grabbing a croissant from the bakery as she leaves for school. To any passerby, it will appear as if she is talking to herself. "I like him as a friend, but I don't really want that to change. We're close as Ladybug, and I think I want it to stay that way. Chat and Marinette can't happen. He's a hero, and she- _I'm_ not. Besides," she squares up her shoulders, "I like Adrien. I want to be with him. Not Chat."

Marinette reaches the _collège_ entry and hurries up the stairs, not wanting to be late for class. Tikki doesn't reply, and Marinette manages to concentrate on her schoolwork.

* * *

Marinette doesn't notice the glances Adrien throws her way. Nino does, however, and pesters his best friend about it.

"Hey, dude," he says, and snaps his finger to get Adrien's attention. The model takes his eyes off the dark haired girl across the lunch room and looks blankly at Nino.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You've been looking at Marinette all morning. What's up?"

Adrien's cheeks take on a faint pink tint. "No I haven't," he protests, spearing his food with a fork idly. He keeps thinking about how he knows things about Marinette that Adrien shouldn't be able to know. It feels a bit like he is betraying her trust.

Nino raises a brow. "I'm pretty sure you have been. I may need glasses, but I am not blind. You keep turning your head around just to sneak a peek. Are you into her or something?"

"W-what?" Adrien keeps his jaw from hanging open dumbly. Sure, Marinette is pretty cute, and her shyness could be described as endearing, but his affections were solely directed towards his Lady. "No, no! That's not what- I don't-"

"Okay, okay," Nino interrupts, holding up a hand. "You don't have a crush." _Though Marinette obviously does_ , he adds silently.

Adrien knows Nino won't let this go anytime soon and decides to throw him a bone to keep him occupied. "Have you noticed that Marinette only seems shy around me? I just wanted to know why. She seems so at ease with everyone else. Did I say something wrong to her?"

Nino smirks. "Oh, no, man. It's not your fault… kind of."

"'Kind of?'" Adrien quirks an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Nino shakes his head. "You're so oblivious, aren't you? I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."

Unsettled by his friend's cryptic remark, Adrien chooses to drop the conversation and finish eating his lunch.

* * *

After the final bell rings, Marinette hurries along the side of the hallway towards the front entrance of the school. She had received a large amount of homework that day and is itching to get a start on it in case an akuma attack arises.

A classroom door flies open and smashes Marinette in the face. She drops to the floor, skidding a feet backwards. Her hands fly to her face, pressing against the bruise forming on her forehead. A small trickle of warmth drips from her nose and she winces.

" _Oh my god_ ," moans a horrified male voice.

Marinette's hands slide from her face, mouth open in shock. _Adrien? Of all people!_

"I am so, _so_ sorry, Marinette." Adrien kneels down beside her, hands hovering over her nervously, as if he can't decide what to help with first.

He picks her up by the arm, Marinette tilting dangerously to the side. She's still disoriented from her jarring encounter with the door.

Adrien leans closer to her face, eyes widening. "Oh, no, you're bleeding. I'm such an idiot, I should have opened the door more carefully."

Marinette gains control over her words. "No, no, it's not your fault. My luck just sucks." She pulls a tissue from a small pack in her purse, minding her small companion inside, and wipes the top of her lip.

"Trust me, it was my fault. My luck is absolute crap." Adrien releases Marinette after he deems her steady enough to stand on her own. "C-can I make it up to you?"

Marinette's head is still throbbing, too distracted to completely register the fact that Adrien ( _the_ Adrien Agreste!) had hit her with a door and was now offering compensation. "No," she simply answers. "I should get going."

Adrien frowns, concern laced in his words. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She nods. "Yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm fine." Marinette clenches the tissue in her hand, tossing it in the trash as she walks down the hall.

She gently rubs her forehead with a finger as she crosses the street to her home. There's sure to be a large bruise there, and Marie hopes that her bangs will hide the most of it.

There are customers in the bakery when she arrives, so she silently makes her way up to her room.

In the bathroom she pulls up her bangs and examines the bruise, a large black and blue spot where her skin should be pale.

Marinette huffs and washes away the crusted blood around her nostril, careful not to prod her sore nose too hard.

Tikki darts out of the purse, exclaiming, "Oh, Marinette! That was awful; are you okay?"

"Yeah," the girl says, "I'll heal soon enough. It's not so bad anymore." It's only a half lie. It freaking _hurts_. She'd never allow Tikki to worry about her, however, and plays down the throbbing pain. "I think I'll just sleep it off."

* * *

That evening, Adrien is still feeling immensely guilty as he runs across the Paris rooftops towards his classmate's home. He hadn't expected to open the door at the exact same time Marinette was walking by. The dazed look on her face, the blood smeared around her nose… he winces, running along a little faster now.

Chat arrives on the girl's balcony. He hasn't come to apologize, seeing as how Chat hadn't exactly been the one to smack her with a door. Instead he is there to check in on Marinette. After all, it's the least he can do.

He knocks on the trap door, hoping she's there to answer. Chat is relieved to see the familiar face peer up through the glass as Marinette climbs up to meet him on the balcony.

He bows. "Ah, Princess, how are you?" he wonders with genuine concern.

"I'm doing alright, thanks." Marinette sits on the edge of the lawn chair, patting the empty space next to her. He sits beside his classmate, keeping a respectful distance between the two. "I got hit in the face this afternoon," she confesses.

Chat feigns surprise. "You got hit in the _face_? What happened?"

He expects her to smack talk Adrien, but is pleased to see she doesn't.

"Well, you see, I was rushing down the hall today to get home quickly, and, like the clutz I am, managed to run _into_ the door that my crush is just opening! Then I get a nose-bleed…"

The rest of her words drown out as he replays a particular line in his head. _My crush. My crush. My crush._

Marinette has a crush on Adrien? On _him_?

Chat doesn't think she meant to reveal that bit of information; it probably slipped out naturally as she was wonder she can't seem to talk properly around him. If only she knew who she was really talking to.

Chat doesn't realize she had asked him a question until a lengthy pause punctuates the conversation.

"Chat?"

He blinks. "Er, I'm sorry. What was that?"

Marinette looks annoyed, a small twist in her lips. "I asked how you were doing."

"Oh, right. I'm doing well. I guess."

She cocks her head. "You guess?"

"I…" Chat hesitates before answering. _How much can I say without giving anything away?_ "It's just that my father has been piling more work on me lately. I have so much stuff to do nowadays that it's getting harder for me to do, you know, Chat things. It's great that I can usually get evenings free, but during the day… What happens when an akuma attacks? I don't know if I can always manage to ditch. Ladybug might need my help." He slumps in his seat.

Marinette looks back at him with large, bright eyes. Her blue irises catch the light from the street lamps below,gleaming in the soft evening dusk.

She squeezes his arm comfortingly. "I'm sure she'll understand if you can't make it. Please, don't stress yourself out too much; it's not healthy." Marinette smiles softly. "I don't want to see you hurt because of it."

Chat's lips turn upwards. "Oh, you don't? How thoughtful. It's certainly nice to see such concern from a fellow civilian."

Marinette punches his arm jokingly. "Oh, shut up." Her nose scrunches up in the cutest way…

Chat shakes his head. That odd flutter in his chest reappears and he tries to shove it down.

He raps his knuckles lightly on her forehead. Tears spring in Marinette's eyes and she jerks backwards, eyes closing shut.

"M-Marinette! What's wrong?" Chat grabs her wrists but she jerks away, pressing two fingers to each side of her temple.

"Nnh," she groans, rubbing her head with her fingertips. "It's my head."

The movement of her hands brush aside a section of her bangs, revealing a nasty looking bruise splotched across the center.

"I'm sorry! Why didn't you say anything before?" Chat brings a finger to her chin, pushing her face towards so that she is looking at him. He takes her head carefully in his hands to examine the injury to her face. Chat only realizes how close his face is to hers after noticing the raging blush spreading across her cheeks and neck.

"Ah," he chokes, jerking back. "Too close, sorry."

Marinette breathes out a light laugh. "I've heard sorry too many times today. I don't want to hear it again." Her voice is softer now. Gentle. He can't stop his arms in time and frankly, he doesn't want to.

* * *

Suddenly Marinette is pulled into Chat's arms and she gasps in surprise. Slowly, she raises her arms to embrace him in return, finding comfort in the firmness and warmth of his body.

Marinette sighs. She can smell him and it's... intoxicating. A distinctly _Chat_ smell, familiar from all the time she has spent with her partner.

Her face is right by his neck. She can see where the collar ends that he's flushed pink, even in the dim light. She wonders how he's feeling, if he's just as flustered as she is. When his face had been only inches away… his lips had never looked more inviting.

Marinette blinks. Never before in her life would she have ever thought about Chat this way. Never like this.

Marinette can't take her eyes off that sliver of bare skin. Her nose brushes against it and she can feel him shiver. It pulls her in- _he_ pulls her in, and without a thought, Marinette brings her lips to Chat's neck and touches it with the slightest of kisses.

He freezes, and she jumps back. She can feel her face burning, feel the pounding of her heart against her chest like a war drum.

"I- I- I don't know why I did that. " the words tumbled from her lips. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. " The very same words she had said she never wanted to hear again that day.

Marinette finds herself waiting for a reply and is only slightly surprised to find him just staring at her. Distracted by the jumble of emotions rolling inside her head, she almosts misses the strange look in his eyes. Almost. An emotion she'd never seen from Chat as Ladybug.

"C-Chat?" Marinette is embarrassed to find herself stuttering, something she only usually does in Adrien's presence.

The name hits her like a punch to the gut. _Oh, Adrien._ Marinette feels a wave of guilt, like a partner caught cheating.

Chat finally speaks, recovering from a loss of words. "You... kissed me?"

Marinette wishes the whole encounter never happened. This wasn't the way she was supposed to feel with her partner, her teammate.

"I'm sorry," she can only repeat. But the words feel like a lie. She knows Chat can hear the falseness in her voice because he steps closer, taking her hand in his. There's such a difference in size that it's almost as if her fingers disappear.

Chat ducks his head, inching closer to Marinette's face. She can see his cheeks are a rosy pink and finds a small comfort in the fact that she isn't the only one nervous.

"Are you really?" He asks. His breath is warm as it caress her already heated skin.

She shakes her head. "No," she admits. "I'm not."

Some of her courage as Ladybug returns, and she tilts her head up, just the slightest bit, but Chat catches the movement as she knows he would.

His face comes closer, Marinette's lashes fluttering shut. She expects to feel a warm press on her lips, but Chat plants a small kiss on her forehead instead, so light that the tender skin there doesn't feel the pressure.

Marinette is about to step back, feeling a twinge of rejection's pain, but Chat brings his other hand up and gently, but firmly, holds her chin in place. Marinette swallows, and she leans forward again. He takes this as confirmation of her consent and brushes another kiss on her face, this time on her cheek. Marinette breathes in the scent of his hair before it's whisked away.

Chat continues leaving kisses on her face, slowly but surely inching closer to her mouth. Finally, Marinette's lips meet his, and she almost sighs in relief, no longer under the power of Chat's teasing kisses.

Marinette wraps her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers into his hair. Chat's golden locks really were as soft as they looked.

It was as if she had stroked a fire, for Chat moves his arms around her waist, pulling the two closer until she is pressed flush against his chest. His mouth moves against hers, the tip of his nose brushing against her skin.

He pulls away for a second, taking in much needed air.

"Chat," she whispers, her voice unusually low. Chat makes a sound, akin to a purr, and kisses her more fiercely than before.

Marinette melts into the kiss. She trails her lips along the line of his jaw, and he sucks in a breath as she kisses the same spot on his neck as before, ever so gently.

"Marinette," he says, voice tantalizingly rough. He pulls away, just enough for the cool night air to fill the space between their bodies. The chill snaps Marinette's mind to attention, now hyper-aware of what had just happened.

Marinette looks at Chat quizzically, wondering if she had done something wrong or toed a line that should not have been crossed.

"I don't know if I can do this."

The words pierce her heart, unexpectedly painful. She gapes at him for a moment before asking in a small voice, "What do you mean?"

Chat closes his eyes and looks away, shoulders slumped. "I... I like someone else. _Love_ someone else," he mends. "And you have feelings for someone else, too."

Marinette's heart skips a beat. "How did you know that?"

Chat looks back at her from the corner of his eye. "You mentioned it earlier. You said you ran into your crush's door."

"Oh." Marinette's face ignites with heat. "Yeah, I do like someone else."

Chat turns his head back to look at her, his turn to stare at her quizzically. "Then why...?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Though Marinette knows she and Ladybug are one in the same, Chat does not. The fact that he fell for the same person twice without realizing it almost makes her giggle.

Chat's brows knit together in confusion, clearly mulling over her words. Marinette empathizes; Adrien _or_ Chat, Adrien _and_ Chat… liking the one feels like betraying the other.

Eventually Chat says, slowly and quietly, "Is it wrong to feel this way towards two people?"

Marinette shakes her head, taking a step closer. "No, it's not." She yearns to tell him who Ladybug really is. Who _she_ really is.

Chat takes her by the elbows, drawing her an inch closer. "I think we're a little biased," he mutters, but brushes his lips softly against hers. "I need… I need some time to think about this. Please?"

Marinette nods, casting her gaze down. "Me too." She really considers telling him everything, but stops herself. _Throwing away years of carefully contained secrecy for some emotions you can't even figure out?_

Chat moves away, slingling one leg over the balcony railing. "I'll see you again, Princess." He jumps to the neighboring rooftop and runs off into the night. When Marinette can no longer see him, she climbs into her bed, falling into a restless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_I kissed Marinette_. It's the only thing Adrien can think about as he crawls into his bed and tries to fall asleep. _I kissed Marinette. But she also kissed me. She kissed me first. But I kissed her back. She likes Adrien…. who is me. I like Ladybug. But we also like each other?_

Plagg lies beside his head on the pillow. The kwami snickers as Adrien groans, the boy's head spinning in confusion. "What was that all about?" Plagg asks teasingly. "I thought you _loved_ Ladybug. So why did you kiss that other girl?"

"If I knew the answers, I wouldn't be having a crisis right now!" Adrien exclaims, exasperated. He remembers to keep his voice low so that it doesn't carry through the halls. "It was in the heat of the moment, I guess. I mean… Marinette was really nice to me." Adrien puffs his cheeks. "But as 'll only talk freely around me when I'm him because she likes me! Adrien me. She doesn't like Chat… but maybe she does?" He rubs his face with his hands. "See? This is so confusing. And I haven't even started on _my_ feelings."

Plagg titters. "Of all the Chat romances I've seen, this is definitely one of the most complicated. This is why-"

"You only like cheese," Adrien interjects. "If I hear that line again, it will be too soon."

Adrien must have fallen asleep at one point because he awakens to the obnoxious beeping of his alarm clock.

Slowly, Adrien prepares for the final school day of the week. He's a bit short on energy, but he manages to get to school on time and not fall asleep at his desk.

Class is about to start and, unsurprisingly, Marinette is late again. As the professor begins her morning lecture, said girl bounds through the door, spewing apologies. Madame Bustier sends Marinette to her seat without hearing an excuse.

"I couldn't sleep well last night," he hears Marinette whisper to Alya behind him. "I feel like I might doze off any second."

"You look unwell. Maybe you should take lunch off and nap," Alya suggests.

"Yeah, maybe." The conversation drops and Adrien focuses back on the lesson. His neck warms slightly; Adrien knows he's the reason why she hadn't slept well last night, same as he.

Adrien isn't sure that he'll be able to look Marinette in the eye today without accidentally letting anything slip. He can't stop thinking about the shape of her lips, the taste of her, the feel of her petite figure under his steady, careful hands.

At least if anyone notices him acting weird around her, he can count it for ramming her face in with a door yesterday. He still feels really bad about that.

But aside from a small greeting as they pass in the hall after class, Adrien doesn't interact with Marinette at all. It appears that she has taken Alya's advice and uses the lunch hour to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Without her usual company, Alya slides into the seat beside Nino during lunch, across from the blonde.

"Hey," she says, making herself at home with the two boys. "Marinette isn't here for lunch. What's up?"

"Oh, not much," retorts Nino. "Just busy eating lunch and being your second choice." He says it light-heartedly, though, and smiles at Alya.

Alya punches his arm. "Don't flatter yourself; you two are my third choice. Chloe just wouldn't let me sit with her."

The two cackle, Adrien joining in with a poor chuckle. When met with his lackluster, the two friends look at Adrien, concerned.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Alya tilts her head, meeting him in the eye. She glances at Nino, but he shrugs.

"What? No," Adrien sighs. "I'm just not… feeling it today."

Nino nods. "We all have those days."

The conversation moves on without him, despite his friends' attempts to include him in their chatter. He politely declines, Nino and Alya finally allowing Adrien to think to himself.

Part of him wants to just talk to Marinette as his civilian self… but he can't. Adrien and Chat are so different, almost two completely separate entities. Not to mention the fact that Marinette can hardly manage to get a single sentence out coherently. She's so outgoing without Adrien around; it's easier to get to know her as Chat.

And, honestly, he's a bit glad. Chat is what he refers to as his true self. _Him_ , but without the façade his father requires him to wear. The irony isn't lost on him; the literal mask is more liberating than he without. After all, how would grand ol' Mr. Agreste seem if his son is wild and flirty? Better to be kind, quiet, and obedient.

It's a damn shame Marinette fell for that version first.

* * *

Marinette returns to class on time after lunch. She slides back into her seat, thankful for the extra hour of sleep. Boy, did she need it.

Class had only been resumed for twenty minutes when Alya jolts in her seat, grabbing Marinette's arm.

"Psst, Marinette," Alya says in a hushed whisper. "Someone commented on my Ladyblog that there's an akuma across town, on the Northside. If only I could go and tape Ladybug." Alya shakes her head, typing furiously on her cellphone. "Maybe I can get someone else to do it."

Marinette clenches her jaw. If she leaves for a bathroom pass now, will it look too obvious? Maybe Alya will be too absorbed by her phone to notice her oddly timed escape.

As Marinette raises her hand, she sees Adrien tense in front of her. A small chill runs down her spine. If he had overheard, it'll ruin her cover. She lowers her hand and instead reaches for a pen.

Holding it under the desk, she disassembles the ink cartridge from its shell. Marinette carefully snaps the thin inkwell and shakes its contents onto her hand. She sticks the broken pieces back into the plastic, twists everything back into places and exclaims, "Oh, no! My pen broke!"

The professor turns from the board to look at her, frowning at the interruption.

Marinette holds up her inkstained hand. "Madame, may I use the restroom and wash it off?"

The professor excuses her from class and Marinette hurries out of the room, using one of her purse tissues to hastily wipe the ink from her hand. When she's out of the building and satisfied that no one is around to see her, she transforms into Ladybug and slings away in search of the akuma.

As Ladybug is halfway across Paris, she is caught up to by Chat.

"Ah, My Lady! How are you?" He grins at her as they run side by side.

"I'm fine, Chat," she says, looking away and pleading that he doesn't notice the slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. Lord save her if she starts stuttering around Chat, too.

Soon enough, the two heroes catch up to the akumatized victim. In the center of destruction stands a young male, decked out in a prisoner-themed costume.

"No school for me," he hisses at Chat and Ladybug. "You can't keep me in detention for skipping; class feels enough like prison already."

Ladybug places her hands on her hips, scowling at the troublemaker "School is important. You need an education! You won't go far in life if you ditch all the time." Okay, so maybe she isn't the greatest consultant on not skipping class, but she has a legitimate reason!

Chat's knees bend into a crouch, ready to spring on the akuma. "Ready to send him back to class, My Lady?" he asks.

Ladybug swings her yo-yo. "Like it's the first day of school after a long, long summer."

After defeating the villain and purifying the butterfly, Ladybug swings back to the school, detransforming in a nearby alley and entering from a side door. Luckily the fight was short; Marinette doesn't want to find _herself_ in detention for ditching, either.

Marinette turns the corner into the hallway where her classroom is and runs into a tall, blonde—

"Again?" She cries without thinking, tripping backwards on her feet at the impact. This time she doesn't fall to the ground and recovers quickly. "I keep bumping into you," Marinette sighs, surprised at the fluency of her words.

Adrien blinks at her, looking surprised as well. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry," he says, reaching a hand up to scratch his head. He doesn't look her in the eye, a faint tinge of red coating the tips of his ears. "Just came back from the 't see you there… again. I guess we're both unlucky lately." He makes a breathy chuckle, sounding a bit too forced. "And I'm sorry for the other day, too."

Adrien holds the door open, gesturing for Marinette to go first. "After you, Pr—" Adrien makes a choking sound, Marinette squeaking in alarm. "I'm alright," he reassures her. "Just, um, choked on some… spit."

From inside the classroom, Nino looks at the two weirdly through the open door. Even the professor shoots them a look from her spot at the front of the class.

"Oh, okay. Um, thanks," Marinette says weakly and scurries to her seat beside Alya. She watches Adrien slump back to his, the boy's face a bright tomato red. Nino questions him silently, out of eavesdropping range.

"What was that about?" Asks Alya. Marinette shrugs and accepts the notes from Alya that were taken in her absence.

She's supposed to be listening to the lecture, but her mind keeps wandering to two certain blonde boys with _gorgeous_ green eyes.

 _Huh, what a coincidence,_ Marinette notes. But besides the familiar yet not-quite-the-same features, her two crushes couldn't be more different.

There's sweet, smart Adrien, ever popular, handsome, and _totally_ out of her league. Marinette sighs. If only he'd notice her. _I'd need twice as much luck than I normally have for that to happen._

On the opposite side of the spectrum is Chat. Chat, her daring, punny, brave, outgoing cat that just so happened to steal her heart as well.

She thinks of his bright smile. His silly grin, the one Ladybug and now Marinette has become accustomed to. Just the thought of the easy joy that practically rolls off of him in waves fills her with warmth.

She thinks of his strong hands, always ready to catch her or pull her to safety. The ones on her hand, on her neck, on her back, and cupping her face, so much gentler than she had thought they would be.

Marinette has to admit to herself… she's got it bad for both of her boys.

* * *

Chat goes during the daylight this time. He had to promise Plagg a lot of cheese in order for him to cooperate, but the thought of seeing Marinette again makes it worth it. But man, was that a lot of cheese.

"I had to watch you two make out last night," Plagg had wined. "It's positively revolting! If I have to sit through that again, I'm going to puke."

Adrien doesn't know if Plagg will have to sit through another kiss again. He kind of hopes so. Ignoring the fact that there is a constant third party half-participating in he and Marinette's romantic frivolities, kissing the girl is definitely something he'll enjoy doing again. And again and again and again.

Chat makes it quickly to Marinette's home; she lives fairly close to his mansion. He drops onto her balcony, tapping on the trap door. After a few moments pass without an answer, he cautiously peers down, testing the hatch. It's locked.

Chat sighs. Either Marinette is out or downstairs in the house. Or… in the bakery. He might as well go down and see; it's the only place Chat can check without being creepy. No need to get arrested for breaking and entering.

Chat jumps from the balcony, landing outside the bakery doors and startling a few pedestrians. "Apologies," he says, and struts inside.

Adrien had never been in Marinette's family bakery before. Chat is momentarily distracted by the delicious looking desserts on display and the smell of warm bread.

The bakery itself is all cream and gold, the tiled floor beautifully designed. Though small, the bakery is still fine. From the looks of it, it's easy to see why some call it the best bakery in Paris.

Chat finally snaps out of his trance-like state at the sound of a very strange… grumble? Squack? "Huh?"

Marinette carries a large platter of macarons, the pile a bit too large to manage easily. She steps carefully from the kitchen in the back, her nose screwed up in concentration. Marinette looks up from the teetering stack of colorful sweets and finally sees the boy standing in the middle of the bakery.

Marinette makes an undignified noise and loses control of the platter, unbalanced and tipping dangerously to the side.

"Watch out," Chat exclaims, diving over the counter and reaching his hands out to steady the platter.

The two suck in a breath, silence thrumming in his ears.

Chat's stomach lies across the width of the counter, his legs dangling on the other side. His leather-clad arms slowly lower as Marinette gets a firm hold on the platter and slowly sets it down.

"Chat?" She asks, breaking the silence. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Um," Chat scrambles up to his feet, suddenly shy. Why is he doing this again? Is it really a good idea? "I was… looking for something to snack on?"

Marinette raises her brows, unconvinced. "Sure you did."

Chat gazes at her for a second, lips slightly parted. Marinette, here again in the flesh. Not so different from his mental images of her but not really quite the same. Real.

He hops easily over the counter, landing on the other side. Chat puts his hand on the marble edge, leaning with his weight on the counter. "Did you miss me, Princess?"

Marinette purses her lips. "No," she says, but her eyes tease otherwise. A giddy tingle runs down Chat's spine at the knowledge that she still wants his company.

He leans in close, inches from her face. He can see every freckle on her skin, the pink that rises to her cheeks. Chat smiles, lowering his eyelids. "No?" He purrs, tilting a fraction closer. "Are you sure about that?"

Marinette laughs, pushing him away. She turns to the macarons, transferring each to their own flavor-coordinated display plates. "I have work to do, silly cat. What are you doing here? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Anything better than visiting you? Impossible!" Chat cozies up to the girl, a hand sneaking conspicuously towards the unguarded macarons. His hand is slapped and he withdraws it, chuckling. "I'd never actually take one without paying, Marinette."

She turns her dazzling blue eyes towards him, a small flutter in his chest. "Hmm," she hums. "You'd better. If you want some, maybe I'll be generous and let you have some of the ones that didn't turn out pretty enough to sell."

Chat grins at this. "Really?" He slips an arm around her waist, tugging her to his chest so that she faces him completely, dipping her lower to the ground. A surprised gasp falls from those full, pink lips as she pulls her eyes up to look him in the eye. "I'm grateful to have you, Princess."

Marinette squeals, pinching his nose. "Chat," she whines, "C'mon. You're always so flirty. If I had half a right mind, I'd stay away from you."

Chat lets her stand upright. "Stay away from me? If you don't like it I can leave you alone, if that's what you want." Though it saddens him to say it, he'll do it in a heartbeat if Marinette is truly uncomfortable with him.

"No, Chat," Marinette says, placing a hand on his arm. "That's not what I mean. It's just that, oh, how do I say it? You're like a tease. It sometimes seems insincere and it wouldn't be smart to fall for that."

Chat frowns. "You think I'm insincere?"

Marinette opens her mouth, closes it, furrowes her brow, and replies, "We both like different people. You can't be with me _and_ Ladybug, and I can't be with you and my crush. I don't… want to _choose_. To have to forget the other. I'm not ready for that yet. It'd be so much easier for me not to like you, but I can't help it."

"You can't help like me, is what you're saying?"

"I— oh, shush," Marinette grumbles. She lets Chat grab her hand.

"Well, I hope you'll be pleased to hear that I can't help but like you, too."

Marinette smiles softly, but says in a more somber tone, "But what about Ladybug?"

Chat sighs. "I don't know. She's… well, I like her a lot as well. But you know what I mean; you still like that other guy."

Marinette nods. "I do." She looks down at their entwined fingers, letting out a soft exhale. "I don't think a four-way polygamous relationship would work out very well."

"No, I don't think so." Chat tilts his head. Not that it would actually be four people; after all, he _is_ her crush. "Who's that guy you like?" He asks anyways. Might as well have Marinette officially tell him.

"I… I don't know."

"I won't seek him out or anything, I promise. It's not like you don't know the other person I like. Well, not her real identity, anyhow."

Marinette gets a curious look on her face. "No, I don't. I suppose it's only fair…. I like Adrien Agreste. Do you recognize him?"

Having it directly spoken feels a lot different than otherwise. It makes the statement so much more solid, real, tangible. Sweet, sweet Marinette has no idea she fell for him twice.

She glances at Chat carefully, gauging his expression. He schools his features into nonchalance. "You have no idea how much I want to kiss you right now."

Marinette blinks. "Wait, what?"

Chat gives her fingers a squeeze, bringing her knuckles to his lips. "There's nobody here right now," he points out, murmuring against her skin."Which is surprising, but I'm certainly not complaining."

"School gets out before the end of the work rush. It's usually pretty low at this time." She doesn't pull away her hand, however.

"Do you not want me to kiss you?"

Marinette leans closer to him, rising up on her toes. "I really, _really_ want you to kiss me."

And so he does. Her lips are softer than he remembers. His mouth presses against hers, gently at first, then firmly. He wants her to know that this kiss is as sincere as can be.

Marinette presses up against him, wrapping an arm around his waist. She smiles into the kiss; he can feel her lips move upwards.

Chat pulls away, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. Marinette truly is a beautiful girl. She looks happy. Loved. He's overjoyed to be on the receiving end of that look.

"I still have work to do, kitty," she mumbles. "I'll meet you upstairs with some sweets. How's that sound?"

Chat smiles. "That sounds great, Princess."


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette climbs upstairs, a bag of slightly deformed macarons in hand. As she opens the door to the living room, Marinette comes across her mother in the mini-kitchen.

"Hi, mom," she says, placing one foot on the bottom step.

"Ah, Marinette, was that a customer I heard in the bakery? Did you need any help? I was just about to go down there." Her mother walks to the door, resting a hand on the handle.

Marinette shakes her head. "N-no, no customer. It was only Alya calling. On speaker."

"Oh, okay. If I need you again I'll call for you, alright?"

"Yes, mom," Marinette smiles, dashing up the final flight to her room. After setting aside a macaron on her desk for Tikki, she scurries up the step-ladder to the top of her bed and climbs up through the glass door to the balcony above.

Chat waits for her on the lawn chair, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head. At the sound of Marinette's arrival, he sits up, a grin sliding onto his face.

"Darling Marinette, have you those sweets I was promised?" Chat jumps to his feet, offering a hand to help pull Marinette up. She accepts, holding out the paper bag.

"I didn't _promise_ you anything," she clarifies. "But you're welcome."

"Thank you, Princess." Chat takes the bag, opening it and peering inside. He sticks a hand in and extracts a pale-green macaron with a chocolate cream filling. "I don't suppose this is mint chocolate?"

Marinette fakes a gasp. "How did you know?"

Chat grins, popping the treat into his mouth. "Lucky guess."

A few crumbs stick to the edges of his lips. Marinette reaches out a hand, brushing them away with her thumb. Chat makes a soft purr, slow-blinking at her.

"What are you, a real cat?" Marinette giggles as Chat captures her fingers and splays them across his mouth. She can feel his jaw working as he chews. Marinette removes her hand after he lets go, slowly letting her fingertips brush across Chat's lips.

The pair sit on the lawn chair, basking in the late-afternoon glow. They munch on the few macarons left in the bag. Their sides are pressed together as they squeeze lengthwise on the chair; it's tight but not too uncomfortable. To make more room, Chat turns so that he lays on his side, his front flush against Marinette. He plays with her hair, gently pulling the hair ties out of their hold.

"Chat," Marinette mumbles in a half-hearted protest. She likes the way his fingers feel in her hair, on her scalp. Marinette nuzzles into his touch, closing her eyes.

Chat continues petting her, twisting locks of her dark hair around his covered fingers only to unwind them again. "I wish I didn't have to wear this costume," he sighs. "This would be so much more pleasurable if I could really feel how soft your hair is."

Marinette opens her eyes to look at Chat. The drooping sun makes his blonde hair look like molten gold. She runs her hand through his bangs, letting out a content hum. "Maybe… maybe one day."

Chat searches her eyes with his green ones. "You think so?" He ceases mussing her hair, laying his hand on her cheek. "Could this… we… happen like that?"

Marinette bites her lower lip. "I don't know. I'm not even entirely sure what we _are_ right now." She gestures to their close bodies. "This is, what, only our _third day_ actually talking to each other since the Evillustrator event?"

"It doesn't feel like it. It's like I've known you like this for a long time already," Chat says. Well, he's not completely wrong. He knows her Ladybug side, but are the two parts of her all that different?

Marinette swallows. "I have something that I… that want to say. But I'm not ready. We're not ready yet, I think. I don't know when, but if we continue down this road, there is something very important you should know."

Chat nods. "Okay."

"Okay," Marinette repeats. She examines Chat's face unabashed; he does the same to her. They're so close, much closer and more intimate than she's ever been with another person. The thought strikes a chord in her, and now Marinette is very curious about something. "Have you ever… have you been in a relationship before?"

"No," he simply replies. "You're the first. In fact, you're my first kiss, too. What about you?"

"Same as you." _You are also my first kiss_. _Just not when you think._ "But I know for a fact that I'm not your first kiss." _Kind of._

Chat frowns. "What do you mean?"

Marinette sits up, to Chat's dismay. She looks away, unsure about meeting his eyes as she continues, "On Valentine's Day, you remember when my classmate, Kim, had been akumatised?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, you were hit by one of his arrows, as you probably know. And, um," Marinette tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. "Ladybug had to break you out of the spell. She, well, she had to kiss you." The last two words came out as a squeak.

"She _what_?" Marinette can sense his jaw dropping.

"You truly don't remember?" She looks at him, biting the inside of her cheek.

Chat sits up, eyes wide. "N-no! Plagg never said—"

"Plagg?"

"He's, uh, how do I say this… he helps me be Chat."

 _Ah_ , Marinette thinks, _Plagg must be Chat's version of Tikki._ "Oh, okay."

Chat cocks his head to the side. "So how do you know she kissed me?"

Marinette waves her hand in the air. "Ah, you were in a public area, you know. I'm surprised the Ladyblog didn't blow up about it." That part is true, at least. No one had mentioned the kiss between Ladybug and Chat, strangely enough. Alya would have had a field day.

Chat juts out his bottom lip. A slideshow of emotions play across his face. He doesn't talk, which makes Marinette nervous.

"Chat?"

He shakes his head, closing his eyes. "Nothing. I just wonder why Ladybug never mentioned it. Why didn't she tell me?"

Marinette walks to the small table nearby, letting her fingers skim its surface. "Maybe she didn't want you to make a big deal about it or anything."

"Do you think she was ashamed of it? That she would rather pretend it never happened?" Marinette can hear the pain in his voice, can feel her heart chip at the sound of it. She spins around, her loose hair whipping her cheeks.

" _Ashamed_? No, Chat, of course not! Why would you think that?"

Chat stares at the ground. "Ladybug always rejects me, and though I try not to make her uncomfortable, maybe she thinks I'm too much—too annoying, a pain in the ass that she only bothers dealing with for the sole purpose of saving Paris. If it weren't for the akumas, no one would look twice at poor, useless Chat Noir."

Marinette's mouth hangs open. She rushes to Chat's side, practically sitting on his lap for how close she is. Her hands cup Chat's face, pulling it up so that it is his turn to face her. " _No_. Don't you ever think like that again. It's ridiculous; Ladybug cares about you so, so much." Marinette's voice breaks and she has to swallow the frog in her throat. "She needs you. _I_ need you. What's Paris without Chat Noir? There isn't a soul alive who thinks you're useless. You're worth _the world_."

"Do you really mean that?" Chat's low voice wobbles with emotion. He gazes at Marinette with wide eyes. She can see the spark of hope, the hope that maybe, _just maybe_ , he actually might mean so much to someone.

"Of course I do. God, I do. I really, really do."

A silent tear slips down his face. Marinette brushes it away with her thumb, stroking the wet trail until it's gone. They sit there quietly, foreheads touching, as if time itself has stopped for them. The sounds of the city are as soothing as the sun's warmth, the cool breeze, the welcoming, peaceful calm of silence.

"—inette?" A voice crawls up to the pair, startling them out of their little sanctuary. The mood cracks and shatters, knocking the air out of Marinette's lungs.

Marinette's breath hitches, eyes widening. " _Oh, no_ , it's my mom," she breathes. "She must have needed me downstairs. I completely forgot—"

Chat stiffens. The door behind them opens with a loud click. Before Marinette can turn, she hears a feminine gasp, sees Chat's stunned reaction to the unexpected intrusion.

Marinette twists around in her seat. Her knee jabs Chat in the side and her waist aches at the sudden and uncomfortable position.

Ms. Dupain-Cheng's torso sticks out from the roof entrance. A pale hand flies to her mouth, eyes darting between Marinette and her male companion. "What—who is—" Marinette's mother blinks furiously. "Marinette, explain yourself!"

* * *

The first thing that runs through Chat's mind is that the universe absolutely hates him.

He and Marinette scramble to their feet, hips clumsily knocking into the outdoor table in their haste.

"Uh, um—!" Marinette stutters madly, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "He—we—we're not… w-whatever it is you're thinking!"

Marinette's mother ( _who looks so much like her daughter,_ he thinks) comes fully out the trap door, hands on her hips. "And what is it you think I'm thinking?"

"Uh…" Standing from behind, Chat presses two fingers against the crook of Marinette's elbow. It's not enough to completely comfort the girl, but she says with slightly more bravery, "That we're… like, together?"

Ms. Dupain-Cheng glares. "Is that what's going on?"

"I… don't know." Marinette throws a glance at Chat. "Maybe?"

" _Maybe_? Do you even know who this boy is?" The small woman has a surprisingly large voice. Chat finds himself wilting under her judgemental stare.

"He's Chat," Marinette answers lamely, visibly deflating. Everyone knows that isn't what was meant.

"She doesn't know," Chat speaks up, worrying the inside of his cheek. He's met with a sharp reply.

"And you think that is okay? That… _fooling around_ with a boy whose real name _you don't even know_ is in any way smart? I thought I raised you better than that, Marinette!"

Tears spring up in Marinette's eyes at the harsh words from her mother. " _Maman_ ," she whines, "you don't understand. Please, just listen—"

"No, not right now. We are having this discussion later. Go help your father downstairs," Ms. Dupain-Cheng orders, pointing down the hatch. "And you," she directs at Chat. "I don't care who are are, but I'm going to need you to leave."

"Y-yes, Ma'am," he blurts out. As Chat turns to go Marinette grabs his arm. He looks back at her, a sinking feeling in his chest at her panicked expression.

 _I'm sorry_ , she mouths, before sweeping a fleeting kiss against his cheek. Her mother makes a noise of protest. Chat flashes his Princess a wistful smile before jumping over the balcony railing and dashing away. He has to force himself not to stop and turn back.

 _What have I done?_ Chat rests on the roof of an empty apartment for rent and slumps down, his head on his knees. Sure, it isn't really his fault; it was a poorly timed inconvenience. But who else is there to blame? _I've gotten Marinette in trouble._

After a good fifteen minutes of sitting on the roof, Chat sulks home, slinging through the open window and landing in his bedroom. In a flash of green light, he detransforms, flopping down on his bed as Adrien.

Plagg sits on his stomach. "Are you okay?" The kwami asks, a rare hint of concern laced through his simple question.

"I think so." Adrien sighs. "Actually, no. I don't… I didn't mean to get her in trouble with her parents. I understand her mother's feelings; I'm probably not the best thing she could have wanted for her daughter. A mysterious boy you've never met and whose name _no one even knows_ 'fooling around' with sweet, innocent Mari…" Adrien groans, hiding his face with his hands. "If I were Adrien, it'd be so much easier."

Adrien jolts up, Plagg flying across the bed. "Hey!" The cat protests. "What was that for?"

His charge sits with his mouth open, a lightbulb flashing behind his eyes. "' _If I were Adrien_ ,'" he repeats. "That's it! Marinette likes me, so all I have to do is just ask her out as, well, me!" His hands gesture in the air wildly, matching his excitement. "Then, there'd be no reason to hide, and her romantic complications would be solved because, duh, her crushes are the same person. Why didn't I just do this sooner?"

"Maybe because Chat has a secret identity to keep," retorts Plagg. "And that she can barely speak to you."

Adrien sighs. "But I can trust her. I know she won't tell anyone. And anyways, haven't past Chat Noir's revealed their identities to someone before?"

"Well, yes."

"And not all of them ended badly, right?"

"Yes."

Adrien claps his hands together. "Then there's that! This can totally work."

Plagg shakes his head, an amused smile on his face. "Alright, kid. Whatever you think is best."

Adrien rises from the bed, walking over to the still-open window. "I wonder how she's doing. Plagg, do you think you could pop over and check? Just see if Marinette is okay."

Plagg grumbles. "I still haven't eaten any fuel and now you want me to do you an errand?"

"Please? There's a big wedge of cheese in the mini-fridge. Go ahead and help yourself."

The kwami zips to the said appliance, going straight through the door. An exclamation of joy, though muffled, can be heard from inside the fridge. "Wow, that really is a pretty big piece. Camembert, too!"

In only a matter of seconds, Plagg drifts from the fridge with a noticeable pot-belly. "Okay, time to visit kissy-missy."

"Plagg," Adrien says in a scolding tone.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll just go. I'll be in and out without so much as a glimpse of me." With that, the annoying but occasionally endearing companion vanishes through the window, off to check on the Princess.

* * *

Plagg travels back to Marinette Dupain-Cheng's house, this time by himself. It's been a long time since the kwami has had time to himself. Adrien is a sweet kid, but everyone needs their alone time every once in a while— cooped up in a bag or locker does _not_ count.

The cool night air feels great as he flies around, safe from curious eyes thanks to the darkness. The way to the bakery is short and in no time at all (much too soon for Plagg's liking), he's hovering by the window, peering through the blinds.

There, pacing by herself in the excessively pink room, is the girl who had managed to pull Chat's heart away from Ladybug. And Plagg had thought he'd never see the day.

But it turns out, to the cat's surprise, that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is not alone.

Floating alongside the fuming teen is an all-too familiar red figure: Tikki. The yin to his yang. Ladybug's kwami.

Plagg's eyes widen. _Of course_ , he sighs to himself, _the only other person Chat has fallen for is, in fact, still Ladybug herself._

The kwami hurries back to the Agreste mansion, unsure what to do with this new information. _To tell or not to tell, that is the question._

* * *

Adrien is only half-surprised when Plagg comes back so quickly. "So? Is she doing okay? Is she angry?" He shuts the window before turning his attention to the cat.

Plagg's eyes look anywhere but Adrien's face. "Yep," he quips. "Yeah, I peeked in her room and she seems a bit ticked from what I've seen but not that I actually saw a lot I just took a quick—"

" _Plagg_ ," Adrien interjects. "You're rambling. You seem more nervous than even I should be." The blonde raises a brow. "'What's the matter? Did something happen? Did she see you?"

"No, no," Plagg assures. "I'm the master of stealth."

Adrien slowly nods his head. "Okay, then. As long as Marinette is fine."

Plagg hovers in the air, a mysterious aura about him. It's slightly weirding Adrien out, but the chances of getting a serious answer from his snarky companion is slim. Instead, he hops onto his computer, opening a browsing window to keep his mind occupied.

His homepage is Alya's Ladyblog. Adrien follows the site like a bloodhound on a mission. Though he respects his Lady's decision to keep their identities secret from each other, Adrien can't help but join in on the speculation. Not to mention the theories circulating around about Chat's identity, either. Some of them are absolutely _hilarious_.

The site features a decent sized picture of Ladybug. Her bright blue eyes are focused on something in the distance, her face screwed up in determined concentration. Behind her is Chat, a mere blur on the left. Adrien doesn't remember when picture had been taken, which akuma had their attention at the time.

 _Beautiful, brave, strong, caring Ladybug._ Adrien sighs, resting his chin in his palm. He adores her, loves her, believes the very stars come from her soul. She is the moon, mysterious, bright, and seemingly so close but always too far.

Ladybug is the moon to the sun that is Marinette. No… not quite. Marinette is like a soft candle flame. Warm but not scorching. Close and tangible, something he can hold in his hands, bring close to his heart, and not burn himself. She is a match in the dark, the one who lights the signal towards home when the moon is not enough.

 _Marinette_. Adrien repeats her name over and over in his head until his voice carries the sound of her name. "Marinette."

He turns to Plagg, his mind and heart buzzing. "Plagg? Is it possible to move on from a love? Is it wrong? Does it mean what I felt for Ladybug is not real, or does it mean we're just not meant to be?"

"All these serious questions for such a young person," the kwami replies. He didn't answer any of them, but Adrien doesn't care; they were all rhetorical. How does one who's never felt such feelings answer something like that?

"Ladybug is magnificent, but she won't let me in. Maybe there's someone else. I don't know. I may never know; she doesn't tell me anything. I don't know her favorite color, what she like to eat or watch, if she likes coffee, or even her opinion on cheese." Adrien gets up from his desk chair and paces across his room. "But I know Marinette. I know the little things, from that first day with her. The day that started it all. I asked her questions and she answered them, something Ladybug would never do. She loves designing and she can bake. Her talent for art is amazing and she's even good at sports. Her hair looks so soft and I can see all of her little freckles up close."

Adrien's voice is barely a whisper now as he lists all the things he loves about Marinette. _Love_. "God, Plagg. I've only been with her for a couple of _days_. How can I… how can I feel like this already? I finally notice her after all this time and this is how long it takes to pull me apart at the very thought of her?"

Plagg shakes his head. "Kid," he says, "you don't even know the half of it."


	5. Chapter 5

Marinette paces in her room, marching to-and-fro so many times that she won't be surprised if there are tracks worn into the floor.

She's' been in her room for half an hour already, waiting for the bakery to close for the day. Then, her mother will call her down for a little "talk" about "personal safety" and "not hanging out alone on your roof with strange unidentifiable boys."

Marinette grumbles, tugging down the end of her shirt in frustration. Tikki trails her, speaking words of comfort. Do they work? Not really, but it's nice to have someone on her side.

"Can't believe… my mother… Chat… probably grounded…" Half of the girl's words are illegible, but the point gets across. Tikki hovers by Marinette's face, frowning.

"Come on, Marinette. You've been doing the same thing for the past thirty minutes. Don't you think you should sit down, at least?"

Marinette sighs and complies, slumping onto her swivel chair. "Fine, fine."

"Thank you," Tikki says, relieved. "I'm sure you and Chat will be fine… enough."

"Wow, how encouraging. I feel better already."

"Don't be like that," the red kwami scolds. "Where is the little optimist I know and love?"

Marinette scoffs. "Me? And optimist? I practically schedule my death several times a week just by messing something up! Remember that awful voice mail I accidentally sent to Adrien? I almost _died_."

"Exaggerating."

"You know what I mean," Marie huffs, pulling up her legs and leaning them against the edge of the desk. The tabletop jolts, jostling the mouse and further awakening the sleeping computer. The screen flashes, revealing the Adrien Agreste wallpaper, made by Yours Truly.

Marinette stares at the image, then to the small stack of photo paper still lying on her desk. They are the pictures of Adrien that had been taped to the wall and later hastily taken down at Chat's first arrival. She hadn't remembered to put them up. Marinette is surprised to see that she doesn't particularly feel like having them anymore.

She gingerly picks up the top photo, turning it over and examining the front. This is a favorite; the look in Adrien's eyes makes her want to swoon. But now… she'd rather be swooning to another pair of eyes.

The thought hits her like a traffic collision—hard, sudden, and painful. Her breath comes out too quickly and she coughs to relieve the sudden discomfort.

"Marinette?" Tikki asks, "Are you okay?"

"I… I'm fine." Marinette puts the picture down and returns to the desktop screen. The several faces of her crush look back at her, and her heart still flutters, just not as much as before.

Adrien Agreste is the nicest, sweetest, most handsome boy in her class. From day one it was love at first sight; his dreamy green eyes had beckoned to her. Now they are friends, but it still takes a lot of effort to speak to him properly.

With Chat, however, conversation comes as easy as breathing. There's no pressure to impress or look good; he's her best friend, aside from Alya. And now they're more than friends. That's something Marinette can only hope to accomplish with Adrien.

 _I still like him. I just like Chat more._

"Tikki," Marinette begins slowly. "Do you know who Chat Noir is? The boy behind the mask?"

Tikki blinks at the change of subject. "No."

"Chat must have a kwami, too, right? Do you know them? Can you sense them?"

"Yes, yes, and no. Why? Have you changed your mind about wanting to know who he is?"

Marinette takes a deep breath and walks to the window, gazing outside. "What my mom mentioned earlier… about how I don't even know who he really is… well, she has a point. I feel like I'm diving headfirst into an ocean without knowing exactly how deep the water is. It's big and welcoming and exciting and new, but there's always that sense of not knowing where you're going; which way is back to shore, up to the surface, or down even deeper? I trust Chat, I really do, but would I be able to… to feel the same way? Would I be able to see his face and _know_ that's who I want to be with?"

Tikki smiles softly and floats over to pat Marinette's cheek. "You are a strong girl, Mari. I have faith in you to find a way to work things out. You always do. I don't know if you've already met Chat Noir or not, but I think that whoever he is, you'll be fine with him. After all, he's only wearing different clothing; his heart is still the same."

Nodding, Marinette returns to her computer and takes down the wallpaper, defaulting to a black background. Her shoulders no longer carry a heavy weight. Her heart is set in determination—to find Chat. To know him in both of his lives. To be with him in full.

"Tikki…" The girl bites her bottom lip, brushing back a stray lock of dark hair. "I think I'm going to tell him."

"Tell him what?"

"That I'm Ladybug. And I want to do it today."

###

Marinette sits on the living room couch, sunken back into the cushions with her arms crossed defensively over her chest. A pout adorns her face as she flicks her eyes from her mother, her father, and the floor.

Mrs. Dupain-Cheng stands in the center of the room, hands on her hips. She's engrossed in her lecture, her husband left awkwardly off to the side.

"...dating a celebrity? How did you even meet?" Marinette opens her mouth to answer but her mother continues rambling. "How long has this been going on? Has he been in your room?"

 _A couple of days,_ Marinette thinks, _and yes, he has._

"You didn't tell us you were involved with someone— if I hadn't caught you with him, we still wouldn't have known!" Sabine throws her hands in the air. "That was our one rule: that we know about any boyfriends you have."

 _If I had a girlfriend, would the rule apply?_ Marinette snorts, catching her mother's attention.

"What are you laughing at? Tom, help me out here."

Mr. Dupain-Cheng's eyes widen at the direct reference. He scratches the back of his neck. "Well, Marinette… we _did_ have that rule."

After a moment's pause and Tom looking like he isn't planning on commenting any further, Sabine spins back to face her daughter.

"Do you have anything to say on the matter, Marinette, before I ground you for a week?"

Marinette thinks for only a second before answering, "No."

"Alright, then. Now, go to your room. I want to sleep on this before we talk again tomorrow— because we are not finished with this, young Ma'am."

The teen obeys, trudging up the stairs. She reunites with Tikki, who asks, "How did it go?"

"I'm grounded until next Friday and my mom _still_ wants to talk about it tomorrow."

"It's tough love, Marinette," Tikki consoles. "She's only worried. Remember, unlike you, your mother knows next to nothing about Chat."

 _Tikki's right._ "Okay, okay. It's just hard not to feel a little bitter. I want to talk to Chat tonight; if I don't tell him the truth about who I am now, I'm going to chicken out. Are we entirely ready? Maybe, maybe not, but I don't think I should pull him between Ladybug and I any longer. After all, the only person standing in my way is myself." Marinette chuckles at the irony. "Here goes nothing. Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Adrien comes back from another quiet dinner alone to a waiting Plagg.

"Ah, finally," Plagg says. "You eat so slowly. Ladybug wants to know if you're up for a patrol tonight. She tried to call a few minutes ago."

Adrien sputters. "Ladybug? I don't think I'm up to it tonight. At least, maybe not with her. Not right now."

Plagg's eyes shine with a teasing gleam. "She said she has something _very_ important she wants to tell you."

Adrien swallows. "Really? Well, it does sound urgent. I'll go. Plagg, you know what to do."

After he transforms, Chat swings out through the window and onto the roof above.

Chat removes his staff from his hip and calls Ladybug. Her face appears on the screen, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Chat?"

"I'm on the way, My… My Lady." He doesn't know whether or not to maintain her nickname. He decides to stick with it for the sake of the pun and familiarity.

Ladybug's eyes flicker at the hesitation in his voice. Her voice, however, doesn't betray any sign of emotion. "Okay. I'll meet you there, kitty." She hangs up and Chat dashes away to meet his partner.

He goes to their usual meeting spot on top of an empty shop for lease. As Chat draws closer, he can see that Ladybug stands with her back to him, watching the pedestrians below. He lands on the rooftop without a sound. "Ladybug, you called?"

She turns, a carefully blank mask on her face. "Yes. Come with me." She takes off at a leisurely pace, hopping across the buildings. Chat follows wordlessly, wondering what it is she wants to tell him.

After a good few minutes of wandering, Ladybug stops and turns to face him. "Here is good."

Chat notices that the area around them is vacant and dark. There is a small chance of being overheard.

Ladybug drops down to a small, unimpressive balcony jutting out of a wall. The glass door connecting the area to the rest of the building reveals no inhabitants within.

"My Lady?"

She takes a deep breath, then another. "I—" Her voice fails as she chokes on her words. "God, I'm so nervous."

Chat steps closer, laying a hand on her forearm. "It's okay… whatever it is you need to say, I'm listening."

The spotted hero closes her eyes before gulping down some more air. She opens her eyes to look at him closely, gauging his expressions. At the moment she can only find concern and worry.

"There is something… I thought you should know. And it's a pretty big deal." Ladybug laughs humorlessly. "Okay, I think you've gotten that by now. What I mean to say is… remember when I told you earlier today that when we were ready, I would tell you a very important thing? Well, I've decided to speed things up a little bit."

At first, Chat only looks at her with confusion. _Today?_ No, today he'd been with…

The faint echo of Plagg snickering rings through his head.

As soon as everything she had said registers, his heart falters. Even as realization dawns on him, Ladybug continues, "I wanted to tell you: Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug."

Chat sucks in a harsh breath."You… you're Marinette?" His voice has dropped to a whisper. Chat can only stare as the girl before him releases her transformation and reveals herself as his Princess.

"Yes," she breathes nervously. A small red blob dashes behind Marinette and into her purse. Plagg's consciousness perks at the sight, but Chat is too overwhelmed to think twice about it.

"Why?"

The word flies from his lips before his mind can catch up and stop it. Marinette flinches so violently that she stumbles back a step.

"W-what do you mean?" She sounds like her heart has cracked in two. Chat's gut wrenches, knowing _he_ made her sound like that.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way. It's just… why do you reject me as Ladybug and then turn around and kiss me when you're Marinette after only _one conversation_ together?"

Marinette looks away. "There were… complications. Being together could ruin our dynamic. And to be honest, I hadn't exactly felt anything romantic towards you before." She looks back at him, an embarrassed tint to her features.

Chat cocks his head, frowning. "What changed?"

Shrugging, Marinette says, "I don't know. Half of me was swept away in the moment; it felt _right_. Another part was getting to know you better than a crime-fighting partner and another thought that maybe Marinette could be more desirable than Ladybug. After all, who can't help but love her?" Marinette throws her hands in the air, a pained expression on her face. "Ladybug is strong and brave and selfless and daring and I'm… I'm—"

" _You_ are Ladybug. She is you. Without a Marinette, there is no hero of Paris." Chat snatches her hands from the air and holds them over his chest, over his heart. "Everything Ladybug is, you are, Princess. I fell in love with her and then I went and fell in love with you _all over again_."

Marinette gasps, blue eyes roaming his face. "You love me?" She squeaks.

Chat presses his lips to her forehead softly, mindful of the bruise that still spots her face. "With all my heart."

The warmth of a small huff of laughter brushes against his chin. "Silly kitty, what am I going to do with you?"

Marinette's hands tug themselves from his grasp to wrap her arms around Chat's neck, fingers threading through the ends of his hair. She presses her lips against his. "I love you, too, Chat. You're always there for me, always fighting by my side and—" she pinches his cheek hard enough to sting a little. "Always throwing yourself in front of danger to protect me, you nutcase."

Chat chuckles. "If you tell me to stop, I won't listen." He pulls his Princess—his Lady, as well—closer. "You're my candle flame. I'll do anything to keep you safe."

"I'm your what?"

"Nothing," he mumbles, smiling. Chat kisses her, slow and heartfelt. It's sweet and innocent yet full of feeling and sincerity and _want_. One hand slips around her waist as the other cups the back of her neck, pressing them together until all space between the two is eliminated.

Marinette breaks the kiss first, gasping for air. "At least there's one thing I know you'll do: give a girl a really good kiss."

"I'm flattered, Princess. My Lady? I'm not sure which one to use anymore."

Marinette draws back her arms, putting a finger to her jaw. "Let's keep 'My Lady' reserved for Ladybug. We can't go around letting our secret identities slip because of a simple nickname."

"Alright, then." Chat takes her hand in his, brushing his thumb over her knuckles.

Marinette hums, look it down at their entwined fingers. "That stupid little glove," she sighs, recalling his previous complaint about not being able to truly feel with it on.

Chat flicks his eyes from their hands to her face. "We could just _not_ have the glove."

Marinette meets his gaze. "You'd let me know who you are?"

"Marinette, you already know who I am."

This surprises her. "I do?"

Chat smirks. "We're much closer than you think."

"So… are you going to tell me?"

 _Oh, I can easily have fun with this._ "Nope."

Marinette gapes at him. "No?"

Instead of answering, Chat says, "You said you love me. What about Adrien?"

Marinette's eyes darken. "I can forget him. I choose you, Chat. You're the only one for me."

Chat shakes his head. "If you're going to find me, you need to keep an open mind, keep your eyes open."

"Wait— _find you_?"

"Yep. You're a smart girl, Princess; you'll connect the dots soon enough." He hops on the other side of the balcony wall, perching precariously on the brick edge.

Marinette sputters adorably. "I-I got the asshole cat! Chat! You can't tease me like that. I swear, when I see your civilian butt I'm going to kick it!"

"Ah, but you will see me. Come on, let me carry you home." He extends a clawed hand towards the girl, green eyes twinkling with withheld laughter.

Marinette crosses her arms, raising a brow. "I'm very much capable of going home by myself, you know."

"But that would hardly be polite," Chat argues. "It's getting dark and surely you kwami would like a break, no?"

"Have you forgotten our little 'scandal' this afternoon, Chat? My parents would definitely not be pleased if they caught you with me anytime soon."

"All the better that you find my civilian self. I can't say whether or not they will approve of me, but at least I won't be masked and you'd actually know my name."

Marinette huffs. "I hate it when you're right. You always get so smug—wipe that smirk off of your face!"

Chat cackles as Marinette darts out a hand to pinch his face. With quick reflexes, he catches her hand and pulls her towards the balcony wall. Before she can pull away, Chat grabs his staff, holds her close, and shoots upwards.

Marinette releases a surprised squawk as he drops down onto the roof and sweeps her off of her feet.

"Chat! Put me down. I'm no damsel; I can do this by myself." She tries to wiggles out of his arms, but he holds on tight as he bounds across the Paris skyline towards her home.

Marinette makes no further protest, but her bottom lip juts out in a pout. As soon as they reach the girl's rooftop, she jumps out of his embrace.

"Sometimes I wish you weren't such a—"

"Handsome boyfriend of yours?" Chat interjects, waggling his brows. "I find that hard to believe. Who wouldn't want the great Chat Noir as their special someone?"

Marinette smirks. "Boyfriend, you say? Is that what we are, now?"

Chat shrugs. "I think we passed that point a while ago try, maybe, 'I love you?'"

Marinette pushes his shoulder lightly. "Oh, shush." She places a smacking kiss on his cheek, pleased to see a hint of red gracing his skin. "I'll see you… er, whenever. It's already Friday, so if we're in school together, which we probably are, then," Marinette waves a hand in the air. "Ah, you get the gist. Also, I'm grounded this week, so no weekend wooing, alright?"

Chat's lips turn downwards. "Grounded for the week? I'm sorry, Marinette." Great, more trouble for his Princess, courtesy of his awful luck.

"And another lecture. But I'll survive, " she adds quickly as Chat's frown deepens. "Seriously, stop blaming yourself for everything."

Chat gives her a small smile. "I'll try. Good night, Princess."

"Good night, kitty. Maybe I'll see you soon."

He hopes so.


	6. Chapter 6

Marinette's weekend passes uneventfully. After another dreaded berating and hours working in the bakery, Marinette is ecstatic to return to school—which is something that doesn't happen often.

She makes it to class early, surprising the professor (hey, waking up on time + living next door = punctuality!).

Without an over-curious Alya to peer over her shoulder, Marinette jots down a list of possible candidates for Chat's true identity. She writes down all the male names she knows, intending to search the student directory for the rest.

Marinette doesn't notice the trickle of classmates entering through the door until Alya exclaims, "What? Mari's here _before_ me? What a day, what a day!"

Marinette looks up, stashing the sheet of paper in her school bag. "Oh, yeah. Morning, Alya."

Alya drops her bag on the floor, moving in besides her best friend. "What's got you up and early?"

Marinette shrugs. "I guess it's a one-time wonder. I can't be late _all_ the time."

Alya snorts. "You really do need the help sometimes." She cocks her head. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"No. Why?"

"You seem a little… distracted." Alya waves a hand at Marinette. "Heck, you totally missed Adrien walking into the classroom."

Marinette looks down at the row of desks below, seeing that, indeed, Adrien (and Nino) has already arrived. "Oh, I guess I did."

Alya blinks. "Seriously, girl? You're usually more… chipper, especially when it comes to Adrien," she says in a hushed voice. "Are you sure you're alright? Are you sick? Tired?"

Marinette shakes her head, patting her friend's arm. "Yes, yes, I'm completely okay. Don't worry about me."

Alya's lips turn up into a small smile. "I'm your BFF, it's my job to worry."

"Then at least don't worry for nothing."

"I'll see what I can do."

Marinette and Alya share smiles and weekend tales, waiting for the official start of class. The pair can't help but overhear the conversation below.

"Don't you look happy today," Nino comments. Sure enough, Adrien does appear to be in a good mood today; the boy's posture is relaxed and his voice is noticeably lighter.

"Do I? I suppose," Adrien hums. "I had a really nice dream last night. Spoke to the girl of, well, my dreams."

"It's too bad she's not real, dude. From what I see of you now, it must have been really nice." Nino laughs and punches Adrien's shoulder lightly.

The blonde shakes his head. "I know she's there," he only says before the professor takes her spot at the front of the class and calls role.

"Did you hear that?" Alya nudges Marinette with her elbow, oblivious to said boy's eavesdropping. "Adrien's dream girl. I wonder what she's like."

Marinette shrugs. "Probably pretty, nice, smart, the works. Possibly blonde. He looks like a blonde type of guy."

Alya rolls her eyes. "Maybe because he is blonde? What about you, Marinette? I thought you'd be the first to suggest yourself as his dream girl. Do I have to do everything for you?"

"Pssh, no. I'm just—"

Alya gasps. "Or maybe… you'd rather be _someone else's_ dream girl?"

Marinette's cheeks ignite with color. "I—what? N-nah!"

"Ohmigod," Alya breathes. "You've totally moves on. Is there someone else?" Marinette doesn't say anything, only blushes. "I knew it. Who is it? Do I know them? Are they in this class?"

"Well, um..." Marinette misses Adrien's soft snort. "He-I… eh?" She shrugs her shoulders, turning her head and pretending to take notes to evade the question.

"Oookay," Alya scoffs. "I'll just ask again during lunch, then."

"Shh," Marinette puts her finger to her lips and winks. "It's class time, after all."

* * *

During lunch hour, Adrien drags Nino over to where the girls sit. Nino complies with ease, albeit curious about the new seating arrangement.

"Hey, ladies," Adrien greets, planting his lunch on the table across from Marinette. She looks up from her meal and replies with a simple hello.

Nino follows suit. "Hi. Sorry if we're interrupting anything."

"Not at all," answers Alya. "What brings you to this side of town?"

Adrien smiles. "Just thought it'd be nice to eat lunch together today. We didn't get to talk before class today," he points out.

Nino raises his brow. Adrien admits that he isn't usually the one to try and initiate conversation with the two; that job is typically Alya and Nino's. He shrugs at his best friend and takes a bite from his meal.

Marinette sneaks a piece of paper from her bag and scribbles something quickly onto it. While Alya and Nino are occupied talking together, Adrien peers at Marinette, trying to guess what she's thinking.

 _Has she got any suspects?_ he wonders, _Am I one of them? Has she even started looking? Helloooo, Princess, your knight is right in front of you._

"Not Nathanaël, not Kim…" she mutters softly to herself, a long scratch after each name she whispers. "Nor Nino… not anyone in this class, actually."

 _Wait, what? She's going in the wrong direction._

"What have you got there, Marinette?" Adrien asks, a halo of innocence above his head.

"Oh, um, nothing." Marinette blushes and puts the sheet away. "Just some notes for myself."

"Okay," he says, nodding.

Marinette sits at the table awkwardly, hands in her lap. She looks around the room at the other students behind him, gaze lingering on a handful of them. Which ones, he can't tell—not that any of them are right, if she is indeed looking for himself.

"Do you remember that day when Mylène was akumatized?" Marinette asks him.

"Yes? What about it?"

"You know how she had taken some of the students in our class, yes? You were one of them, if I can remember correctly."

Adrien's lips part. _Oh. That's right. Crap._ Supposedly he was—he recalled Ladybug asking for him. He had crouched behind a cocoon and pretended that Adrien was trapped within. Now, he knows, so had Marinette, but if he denied the fact now, that'd practically be giving it away. She's too smart for that.

"I—I was, yes. And you were, too?"

Marinette pauses. "Yeah."

"It was really weird, wasn't it? Akumas have used our classmates many times," Adrien continued, "I don't believe you were ever one."

Marinette shakes her head. "No. Now that you think of it, I don't think you have, either."

 _Yes! Come on, Marinette, another clue!_

"But that's probably because you're so kind and level-headed," she reasons, smiling.

 _Nooo_.

Before Adrien can respond, Alya turns and sweeps Marinette away in conversation.

Adrien sighs, pushing food around his plate with a fork. He feels Nino nudge his side.

"You looked pretty eager to talk to Marinette," Nino observes, waggling his brows. "Has she finally caught your eye?"

The edges of Adrien's lips turn up. "I'm head-over-heels for her."

"Dude, that's great! You should totally ask her out; I have a very good feeling she'll say yes."

"And I have reason to believe she'll say no. At least, not right now," says Adrien. _But hey, she's already my girlfriend, technically._

Nino blanches. "Are you kidding me? She's finally able to talk to you normally and you think she's _not_ into you?"

The blonde glances at said girl, eyes soaking in the beauty of her. His Princess, His Lady. "I just want her to make the first move."

"Good luck with that, man." Nino claps him on the shoulder. "I'll ask Alya and see if she can get Marinette up to the task."

"Um, thanks?"

"No problem, dude. What are friends for?"

Adrien knows Marinette wouldn't ask him out because she's with Chat, who in turn is waiting for her to figure out that he is he!

Maybe Adrien should have just told her who he was. It would be a lot less complicated. Curse his frustrating sense of humor.

* * *

Marinette sits on the gym bleachers next to Alya, a miniature paper mask held up to her eyes. She tries to match it to every passing blonde, but none of them fits the image of Chat in her head.

Turning away from watching the volleyball game in the center of the gym, Alya stares at her friend. "What are you doing?" she asks, bewildered.

Marinette lowers the bit of paper. "Just wondering if, uh, Chat Noir could be one of the students here." Hopefully Alya won't beat her to the chase. It's a small surprise that Marinette hasn't been caught as Ladybug yet.

"Oh, yeah, I've wondered that. Remember that picture of Adrien I edited? Close, but not quite."

Marinette giggles. "There's no way that dork of a catboy could be Adrien. They're completely different."

"Who are different?" Nino climbs up the bleachers to sit on the row below them. Adrien, part of the volleyball game, is still down on the gym floor.

"Adrien and Chat Noir," supplies Alya. "I think I have to agree with Marinette on that one."

Nino shrugs. "Who knows? Maybe that's what he _wants_ you to think. It's always the quiet ones, as they say. Heck, Marinette here could be Ladybug herself."

Marinette blushes, bringing a hand behind her head. "Ahaha, no, I couldn't be her. I mean, have you seen me?"

Alya clicks her tongue. "Please, if Mari is Ladybug and I haven't found out after all this time, I give you permission to strip me of my journalism title and toss me in clown school."

Marinette forces out a chuckle. "Don't listen to her; she's joking," she says quickly. _Poor Alya._

"You and Adrien are actually pretty fit," Alya nods. "I've seen you play before. If Ladybug has to be a girl in our class, I'd place my money on you. But what are the chances she even goes here, am I right?"

"Yeah…" Marinette forces a smile on her face. _I've gotta get them off of Ladybug_. "So, uh, if you had to pick a boy in our class to be Chat, who would you think?"

Alya and Nino ponder the question.

"Probably, no, not him…" mumbles Alya.

"I think… maybe… nah," mirrors Nino.

The two look at each other for a moment before deciding in unison, "Adrien."

Marinette looks at the boy in question,then to her friends. "Really? Why do you say that?"

"Blonde hair, green eyes, roughly the same size," Alya states. "Almost the same voice."

"Adrien is more outgoing once you really get to know him," adds Nino, "and he fences, something Chat seems to be good at, if you watch him with his staff."

Marinette nods. "I could see that, but their personalities are too contrasting. There's silly, flirty, joking Chat..." A dreamy smile blossoms on her face at the thought of the boy. "He's… pretty great."

Alya pokes her shoulder. "Woah, is _Chat_ that other person you like?" she squeals.

Nino blinks. "What, Marinette, you're crushing on Chat?"

Marinette gasps, blushing. "Alya, shush! You don't have to announce it to the whole world."

Alya raises her palms in surrender. "Sorry, sorry."

"Wait," Nino blurts, holding out a hand. "I thought you liked Adrien."

Marinette puts her head in her hands, the small paper mask fluttering down between the gap in the bleachers. "Does _everyone_ know my love life now?'

"Mari, it's blindingly obvious you liked the guy."

Marinette hears Nino mutter something under his breath. She could have sworn it sounded like "poor Adrien," but that wouldn't make sense. It's not as if Adrien likes her, or anything.

She can feel the bleachers move as someone climbs up the steps but doesn't look up.

"Hey," Alya and Nino call.

"Hi, guys," pants Adrien, partially out of breath from the game.

Marinette raises her head, surprised to see the boy's gaze focused on her. Adrien's gym shirt clings to his skin, riding up at the hem as he lowers down to the bench besides his best friend, revealing a sliver of skin. Marinette blushes, looking away, but not before her eyes catch on the familiar unkemptness of his hair.

 _Huh_ , she thinks. _Looks a bit like Chat's._

"Hey, dude, we were just talking about you."

"Really?" quizzes the blonde.

Marinette's lips press into a tight line. _Not about my crush!_ she shouts at Nino in her head.

"We thought you'd make a pretty good Chat Noir," he says instead.

Marinette deflates in relief, but perks up as she notes Adrien pale slightly despite still being flushed from playing.

"Y-yeah? You think so?" Adrien rubs his neck. "How come?"

"You two are similar enough, but Marinette's still convinced otherwise." Alya says, tilting her head in the girl's direction.

Adrien's face flashes with annoyance, but the emotion is quickly brushed away. "I think I'd make a very good Chat Noir," he counters, looking at Marinette.

Marinette bites her lip. Adrien's gaze dips quickly to her mouth and back up, making her cheeks warm a degree.

"Well, I mean… you two are… different," she simply states, tugging at a loose thread in her gym shorts.

Adrien doesn't pull his eyes from hers. Marinette can feel herself sinking into his achingly familiar green irises. "How so?"

Marinette says nothing, only giving a shrug.

Adrien finally looks away from her. "I mean, have you ever seen me and Chat in the same room together?"

Alya laughs. "If you were really Chat Noir, I'm sure you'd be trying very hard right now to _not_ get us to make the connection."

"You never know," Adrien hums, flicking his eyes towards Marinette. There's a mischievous look there, but he turns away before she can be sure. It still raises butterflies in her stomach all the same.

###

The final bell rings, signaling the end of the school day. Marinette walks with Alya to the front doors, half surprised to see the boys waiting for them.

Adrien and Nino cease their conversation to greet the pair. The four teens walk down the entry stairs together, when Marinette trips, arms flailing on the way down. "Ack!"

Her breath is lodged in her throat as she squeezes her eyes shut, expecting to collide with the hard steps, when a hand wraps around her torso, pulling up her up. Marinette is tugged to Adrien's chest, gasping at the sudden proximity to her former crush's face.

He smiles back down at her, a little nervous. "Are you okay? That would have been a nasty fall. We wouldn't want you peppered with more bruises."

Marinette blinks rapidly, swallowing around her cotton-ball tongue. "I'm f-fine, thanks."

Adrien takes a second too long to release her (a fact not gone unnoticed by the two watching friends). The comforting pressure of his arm around her waist is removed. The sensation is… oddly familiar. Her brain tries to revive a memory of another person at another time, but the moment passes fleetingly.

Thankfully, Marinette and the rest of her party make it down the rest of the stairs without accident.

"Do you want to go to the movies with us, Mari? Adrien's schedule is clear today, for once," asks Alya, as they reach the edge of the street.

Marinette shakes her head. "I can't," she sighs, "I'm grounded until Friday."

"That's paw-sitively un-fur-tunate," Adrien jokes, meeting Marinette's eyes. A sly smile creeps onto his face, eyebrow raised in a challenge.

A click resonates through her head and a wave of realization floods her mind. Marinette is sure her heart has stopped.

"Wow, dude, that was terrible," Nino groans, covering his face with a hand.

"Oh my god," Marinette dead-pans.

Adrien grins, a silly lopsided smile full of love and amusement. It's utterly and completely _Chat_.

"Oh," she whispers to herself. "Oh god." _It's him. It was him the whole time._

Alya and Nino share a look of confusion before their jaws drop to the floor as Marinette shakily points a finger, takes a deep breath, and…

" _AAAAAAAAHHH_!"

Adrien breaks out into heavy laughter, bending over and clutching his side. Everyone in the vicinity stops and stares.

" _AAAAAA_ —" In a rush, Marinette grabs Adrien's face and pulls him into a kiss, stomping on his foot simultaneously.

The kiss is brief and chaste as Marinette pulls back, palms flying to her cheeks."— _AAAAAAHH!_ You _ass_. Are you kidding me? My two damn crushes were the same person this whole time? I had to get _over_ you! I bet this entire time you've been laughing at me in your head while you watched me try to figure it out."

Adrien chuckles, eyes glittering. "Miss me, Princess?"

Marinette twists her lips, about to make a snarky reply when Alya exclaims, "Can someone tell us _what in the world_ is going on?"

Marinette blinks, having temporarily forgotten their present company. She turns to Alya and Nino slowly, thinking of something that would explain Marinette's sudden...familiarity… with Adrien, a boy to whom just a few days before she could only stutter, much less yell at and _kiss_.

"W-w-well, I, uh, we—"

"Met anonymously online and started, er, getting to know each other better, so to speak," Adrien finishes, scratching his neck and threading his fingers through hers. "Last week, I knew it was her, first. I was waiting for her to connect the dots to me."

"So you two," gathers Nino, waving a finger between the couple and squinting. "Have been, what, online dating or something? For how long? And you've never told me about this? Dude!"

Alya purses her lips. "You better tell me the deets, girl, because this is a damn big surprise."

Marinette lets out a breathy laugh, looking sideways at Adrien, her masked cat. "Yeah, I guess we have a lot to tell them… tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, everyone is talking about famous Adrien Agreste's new girlfriend.

Chloe fumes, barely holding back a nasty torrent of ill-willed words. The sobs of many fangirls can be heard on nearly every street. Nathanaël mopes to himself at the back of the class.

Alya and Nino are their most fervent supporters. At long last, their dorky friends have gotten their stuff together and are finally— _finally_ —dating.

Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng are surprised at their daughter's sudden change of affection, but let it slide... more or less. Adrien Agreste _is_ a nice, well-behaved, handsome young man—and this time they know his name.

The city notices the newfound intimacy between the masked heroes. Now, Ladybug happily accepts (and returns) her partner's flirting, and there's even a peck or two after an akuma attack.

When no one is around to notice, the two kwamiis are jubilant to be once again united. They love to tease the pair about previous close-calls and obvious obliviousness.

However, the most change comes from the couple themselves. Shy Marinette and reserved Adrien are both infinitely more confident. Their easy banter is shocking to those who have only witnessed their stutter-stuffed words. Adrien spews cat puns with no restraint, often met with groans of protest from his girlfriend.

No one can deny the fact that together, they are happy. That together, they are the face of true love.


End file.
